Long awaited epic dinner centered around the legendary Krug Clos Du Mesnil - a Blanc de Blanc made from a small walled parcel owned by Krug. We have been talking about it for the last couple months and it finally arrived! It all centered around our buddy having a bottle of 85 Krug Mesnil sitting in his cellar that he bought on release and was still sitting in the OWC.
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Krug Clos du Mesnil being the pinnacle of champagne for many of us, we decided to put together a few more bottles and do a vertical of some of my favorite vintages of Mesnil. 1985, 1988, 1990, 1995 and 1996. Kent brought a 1985 brut to compare.
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Everything was served single blind and poured at the same time.
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More extensive notes of individual bottles will follow but I’d rank the wines in the following order 96,88,95,85,85 brut. 1990 was DQ cause corked.
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There is an underlying theme of the Mesnil that becomes very obvious next to the 1985 brut. The 100% chardonnay brings this incredibly racy acid to the wine that permeates from every bottle. It’s like an engine overcharged with Nos - it’s firing and go go go go go non stop. The fruit level is intensely concentrated and deep. The wines are in a complete class of their own as it’s the total package.
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1985 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
1985 Krug brut and 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil - both purchased on release and in impeccable condition
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Having these two side by side shows just how racy and intense the mesnil is.
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The Mesnil is in an incredible spot. The complexity is shining as you get spice, nuts and lemon blowing out on the nose. There’s a youthful energy on the outskirts of the wine that’s starting to fade but the acidity is still intense and driven. The wine is citrus dominated and picks up toast and nut notes that play into the background. I see no reason to hold on as it’s in a great spot right now. -
1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
1985 Krug brut and 1985 Krug Clos du Mesnil - both purchased on release and in impeccable condition
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Having these two side by side shows just how racy and intense the mesnil is.
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The Brut is a broad mouthful of baked apple, nuts and sweet cream. It has edges of that earthy mushroom note as the oxidative bent starts to form. Medium acidity but the wine relies more on the lushness of fruit than power. -
1988 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
1988 Krug Mesnil (served blind) one of my favorite champagnes ever. Thanks to the generosity of the Maharaja cellar (insert other India related references and cellar) I’ve had the opportunity to have this bottling a few times and it is truly the most impressive champagne I have ever consumed. Especially great when consumed over @wine_cat ‘s Ted talks on how he would survive in prison as a small 5’7 Jewish man.
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But that was another occasion and this bottle is now. This was a great bottle of champagne but didn’t have the youthful vibrancy of the prior bottlings I’ve had. It still had a ton of energy and bold acidity but it didn’t have that extra boost of citrus push. But it was massively complex as the aged fruit notes started to show and they were still bold and rich. The wine had significant weight and presence. I finished two glasses of it before I finished one glass of anything else. Just drinking it I knew it had to be the 1988 by just how complete the wine was.
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Just shows incredible the 88 is, even when it doesn’t show its best it’s still an amazing wine. -
1990 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
corked =( -
1995 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
1995 krug clos du mesnil - yummy yummy in my tummy. This was the least opulent out of the bunch - the wine is wrapped with an tail of acid along its body. Driven by the acidity and lean cut of salinity - strong citrus notes pierce into the finish. If the other wines are expansive mouth filling Mesnil, this one is a laser focus of intensity. The fruit is leans more white and crystal than rich. Really nice wine. Every time I have it i’m surprised how youthful the wine is. -
1996 Krug Champagne Clos du Mesnil - France, Champagne (10/14/2019)
WOTN in our vertical - near 100pt wine. Might live forever. Youthfulness and power going hand in hand. A wine that feels like your palate is staring into an infinite abyss and it just keeps going. Mere words cannot describe this wine.
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Third bottle I’ve had of this. First two were young but really acidic. The power didn’t come out to play. Not until this one. Woo wee.
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2016 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (10/14/2019)
2016 red burgundy continues to impress in youth. The wines have structure but ample dense fruit without being solar like 2015. A pair of premier cru Vosne Romanee from premier producers
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Both the Comte Liger Belair Chaumes and Dujac Beaux mont were drinking fantastic in their own styles.
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The CLB was plush and forward with the spiced red fruit and ripe mouthfeel. - 2016 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (10/14/2019)
The Dujac has that wonderful peppery stem, deep aromatics and a black fruited profile that’s ample and giving but with more tannic complexity texture wise.
Tell me this took place a couple weeks ago? A dream tasting for me… ![[welldone.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/fc9709a841aa9379fd892a9cf0b535b05f473b86.gif "[welldone.gif]"){kind=small}